


Safe and Sound

by mochiitan



Category: Our Life: Beginnings & Always (Visual Novel)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Other, but they are at least shorter/smaller than cove, cove and reader are in already established relationship, reader uses they/them pronouns, reader/mc is left gender neutral, their details are left vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochiitan/pseuds/mochiitan
Summary: A relaxing walk in your safe and familiar scene. That's all you wanted.cw for stalking/following someone (i'm sorry i don't know the exact name for this type of harassment)
Relationships: Cove Holden/Main Character | Jamie Last (Our Life), Cove Holden/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Safe and Sound

**Author's Note:**

> this is loosely based off of real events
> 
> it's implied in the story, but this takes place after step 3 and does mention step 3 ending spoilers!

A relaxing walk after a long day. That’s all you wanted. That’s all you needed. A nice walk in the crisp and chilly air of a winter evening. You let your moms know of your plans, picked your favorite music playlist, popped your earphones in, and headed off on your relaxing walk. After about 5 or so minutes, you decided to change the song to something more mellow to help you relax.

“Hey!”

A voice behind you.

“Hey!”

Now in front of you. You looked up from your phone to meet the face of a stranger trying to match your pace. Considering you hadn’t strayed too far from your familiar residential area; it was extremely alarming to see a completely new face in the area at this time of year. You don’t remember Mom or Ma ever mentioning anyone new moving in recently. Trying to be polite, you stopped, smiled, and told the stranger hello.

“I noticed you walking there and wondered if you’d like company?”

This was starting to become a bit unnerving. While this wasn’t strange behavior for residents of this area, this stranger was giving you a bad feeling.

You composed your nerves, feeling maybe you were overreacting. “I’m sorry, I’d really prefer to be alone. Thank you though.”

“Do you live nearby? My name’s Ralf and I saw you walking down the street when coming back from the beach. Hey, what’s that on your hat?”

“Oh, uh…some pins.”

“Pins, huh? That’s cool. Hey, how about I walk you home? What’s your name?”

Your gut feeling seemed to be right. Immediately, panic began to set in. You really hoped he hadn’t seen you walk out of your home. You directed your face back to your phone, trying to come up with a solution. You thought to call Cove, but you decided against calling him. He was probably working right now, and, even if he wasn’t, he no longer lived across from your home. You decided against calling anyone in general, to keep the stranger from becoming upset. You had to approach this cautiously.

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel comfortable giving my name to strangers.” You laughed nervously, nodded to him slightly on reflex, and began walking again, returning your attention to your phone.

The area you were in was a small walk away from your home, maybe you could text Mom to come help. But would she really be enough to scare the stranger off? Maybe Mr. Holden would be a better choice…

“But I’m not a stranger. I told you my name.” ‘Ralf’ said while matching your pace.

Quickly, you opened your messages to Mr. Holden, hoping he wasn’t away or at work.

>help

Shit, that wasn’t how you wanted to ask for help, but in the haze of this whole situation, your texts reflected your panic.

>im walking down the street from my house

>towards the business district

>can you please come over to me

>im scared

The stranger was getting closer, and still trying to talk to you. He was very clearly ignoring your uncomfortable state, and the closer he got, the more panicked you became. You always felt safe in your neighborhood, you never felt the need to carry things to protect you because this was always YOUR safe space, YOUR neighborhood, YOUR home. And now this stranger was threatening this safety, taking it from you with every step he took with you. You felt tears forming and couldn’t stop yourself from shaking.

“You look really nice.”

“I’d really like to walk alone, please leave me alone.”

But he wouldn’t. You refused to look at him anymore, but he kept trying to grab your attention by having a one-sided conversation with you, intent on following you home. You kept your eyes glued to your phone, pretending to be finding a song. You childishly thought if you pretended he wasn’t there he’d magically go away. There was no word from Mr. Holden, but it had only been maybe a minute. You looked up, trying to see if there was a way for you to escape this situation when-

Running down the street was Mr. Holden. He was thankfully home. You waved to him and picked up your step.

“Oh, there’s my dad.”

The stranger slowed down, clearly intimidated by this turn of events. “Oh, okay. Bye.”

And with that, the stranger quickly turned around and started walking away. You met up with Mr. Holden halfway and stopped in front of him.

“(Yn)! Are you okay? Who was that guy?” he said, out of breath.

He gently placed his hands on your shoulders and looked back at the man walking further and further away.

“I don’t know. He just started talking to me and wouldn’t leave me alone no matter how much I tried to tell him to go. I’m sorry to bother you with this Mr. Holden, but could you please walk with me ‘til I get home?”

Mr. Holden smiled a soft and pitying smile. “Of course, it’s no bother at all.”

The small walk to your home was filled with small talk, asking how his day is and apologizing again and again for troubling him and worrying him. You felt bad, but you were glad he was here for you in this moment.

“Hey, would it be alright if I walk in with you? I’d like to tell your moms what happened. I know something like this probably shook you up a bit, so it might be easier if I, the _older_ adult, tells them for you.” Mr. Holden said as you both came to your doorstep, laughing slightly at his remark.

“Oh, no it’s alright, I don’t want to bother you anymore than I have. I can tell them.” You said, laughing nervously.

Mr. Holden gave that sad, pitying smile again and you felt tears threatening to well up again at the thought of recounting the fresh events to your moms.

“…but if you want, I wouldn’t mind you being there while I tell them…. just in case.”

Mr. Holden let out a small chuckle and knocked on your front door. Your moms answered the door, smiling at both you and Mr. Holden.

“Cliff, what a surprise! And you brought back our baby! What’s the occasion?” Mom greeted, stepping aside. “Please come in!”

Both of you stepped inside and he looked to you, searching to see if you were going to speak up to them first about the situation.

“Actually,” you started, “he’s here because I asked him to help me.”

Instantly, your moms faces changed from pleasant to concerned.

“Sweetie, we thought you were just taking a walk. Did something happen?” Ma asked, moving closer to you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

Mom’s concerned face and Ma’s soft hand on your shoulder weighed heavy on your chest, and that weight made it hard to speak.

“Uh…yeah, something did happen.” You said shakily, tears beginning to come back up again. “There was a stranger…”

Realizing you were going to cry if pressed further, Mom and Ma turned to Mr. Holden, and he gave them the same pitying smile he gave you. “They texted me asking for help, and I ran over to them as soon as I saw the text. When I was able to see them, I saw a man I never saw before walking with them. He pretty much ran as soon as he saw me, so I couldn’t get a good look at him.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Ma said, pulling you into her arms, “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been so scary.”

Her embrace was warm, and made you feel safe, like it did when you were a child. Mom joined in the hug as well. You couldn’t help but let a few tears escape your eyes. Feeling safe and warm in their hug, you decided to speak up again.

“I’m sorry, it was my fault for not carrying anything to protect myself. I felt too safe in my surroundings, and it was about time it caught up with me, I guess.” You said, letting out a small and sad laugh after.

Your moms let you out of their embrace and you were met with the concerned faces of both of your moms and Cove’s dad. “No no, don’t blame yourself for this,” Mom said, “this was in no way your fault.”

“Yeah kiddo,” Mr. Holden said, ruffling your hair, “No need to beat yourself up over this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

You nodded in response to their words, but you still felt the heaviness in your chest.

“Mr. Holden,” You started, “Thank you so much for coming to help when I asked, and sorry again if I disturbed anything.”

He simply shook his head. “You don’t have to keep apologizing; you didn’t interrupt anything!”

You only smiled at his words.

“If your ready to talk about what happened,” Mom started, “We’ll be here ready to hear what happened. I know your shaken up right now and probably need time to calm down. If you want help with relaxing just let us know.”

You nodded, and apologized once more on reflex, before excusing yourself to your room.

In your room, you flopped down on the bed, feeling the weight in your chest weigh heavier. You felt so safe walking anywhere in the neighborhood, ever since you were a kid. You remembered all the times you and Cove would walk around the neighborhood together and the weight started becoming unbearable.

Tears stinging your eyes, you felt horrible. That safety was ripped right from you, from someone who didn’t even know you.

Would that feeling of safety ever come back?

That thought weighed the heaviest, and you couldn’t hold back the sobs. The sense of sadness and frustration was overwhelming.

That was when your phone rang.

You pulled your phone out of your pocket and looked at the caller id.

It was Cove.

Trying to compose yourself as best as you could, you answered the phone.

“Hey (Yn)!”

“Hi Cove.”

Immediately, you could tell he knew something was wrong.

“(Yn), what’s wrong? You sound like you're crying.”

“I’m sorry Cove, it’s just too much to talk about right now.”

After a short silence, Cove responded. “I’m going over there right now, alright? You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready, but I want to be there for you.”

You had to stop yourself from sobbing again. “Thank you Cove.”

You felt glad he was coming to you but felt that same pang of guilt that you felt when asking Mr. Holden for help. But you so desperately wanted Cove to be there with you, to hold you tightly and help you with these heavy emotions.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can ok? I’m already in the car, so I’m gonna hang up. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thank you Cove. Please be safe.”

“I will.”

And with that, the line ended. You took a second to compose yourself as best as you could to let your moms know Cove was coming over. Walking downstairs, you could hear that Mr. Holden was still there, talking with your moms. They all turned to you when you came over to them.

“Hey (Yn), how are you feeling?” Mr. Holden said, giving you a little wave with a worried smile.

You gave a small smile back. “I’m…managing. I came down to let you guys know Cove’s coming over if that’s alright?”

The parents smiled. “Of course.” Ma said. “Cove is always welcome here.”

“We’ll make sure to let him in when he’s here if you need to go back up to your room.” Mom said with a worried smile.

You shook your head. “Actually, if you don’t mind, can I sit here with you guys? I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

Mom nodded and opened her arms, motioning you over. You sat between both of your moms, who sat close to you and each wrapped an arm around you. Mr. Holden gave you a concerned smile.

“You guys can continue talking about what you were talking about before,” you said, “You can just pretend I’m not here.”

Still concerned, but not wanting to make you feel unwelcome, the parents kept their conversation lighthearted.

It wasn’t long until there was a knock at the door. Your moms looked to you, asking silently if you wanted them to answer the door.

“It’s ok, I’ll let him in. I’m gonna go up to my room after if that’s alright? I’ll make sure to have Cove tell to greet you guys first though” you said, laughing slightly at the last part.

“Alright sweetheart, let us know if you need anything. We’ll be here if you need anything.” Ma said as both she and Mom released you from their arms.

You got up, smiled at Mr. Holden, and walked towards the door. Opening the door, you were greeted with Cove’s concerned face. When he saw you, he immediately brought you in for a hug. You held him back, but quickly squirmed to signal to him you wanted to tell him something.

“Are you ok?” He asked, letting you go and resting his hands on your shoulders.

The weight was returning. “Yeah, I think so. I…we can talk about it in my room but first you have to go say hi.” You said, giving him a small smile.

“Alright,” he said, removing his hands and taking one of yours, “Do you mind coming along? If not, you can go up and I’ll be right there.”

“Sorry, I think I’m gonna go up then.”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to apologize.” He said, squeezing your hand before letting it go.

You smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss your forehead. You both walked to your destinations, and you sat down on your bed.

Alone again.

You could feel the heaviness grow stronger again. You brought your knees up to your chest and held them there. That feeling was hard to ignore on your own.

Cove was taking a bit.

The parents were probably giving him a rundown of what you told them.

You hoped he’d be there soon.

You felt the tears again.

You brought your head to your knees.

There was a knock on your door, and it opened. You lifted your head and Cove rushed in and over to you, sitting right next to you.

“I’m sorry I took so long. I was surprised to see my dad here and…they gave me the short of what happened. (Yn)…I’m so sorry. I really wish I was here earlier to help you.”

That weight was becoming unbearable again.

“Cove…I” You started, but you found the weight to be too much.

Breaking into a sob, you let go of your knees and reached for Cove, who pulled you into his embrace.

“I…I was so scared!” You sobbed. “That stranger wouldn’t leave me alone, no matter how much I tried to get him to! I didn’t know what to do!”

Cove rubbed your back and held you tightly, unsure of what to say and not wanting to interrupt you.

“This neighborhood has always felt so safe! But there was a stranger here! And now it feels scary!” You pulled your face into his chest, trying to stop the onslaught of emotion that the weight had brought.

“(Yn)…I’m so sorry. It’s not fair that this person ignored your boundaries and stole the safety you felt here in our neighborhood. I really wish there was something I could do to bring that feeling back.”

He gave you the time to sob out your frustration as he continued to rub your back. Once your sobs slowed, Cove tried to break the hug to face you, but you held onto him tighter.

“I’m sorry Cove…can we stay like this for a little longer?”

He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, we can stay like this for as long as you want.”

“What if I say forever?” You said into his chest.

He brought his face to the top of your head. “Then I guess I’ll have to bring you with me to work and you’ll have to take me wherever you go.”

“That’s not such a bad idea.”

You calmed down in his embrace, feeling grateful he was here to help you through the heavy emotions, even if all he did was hold you. You appreciated him being there.

After a while, you loosened your grip, and he took that as a sign to release his embrace. He moved his hands to your shoulders, and you looked to him. His face was full of concern still. You smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“I’m glad Dad was able to help you. For once, he managed to be a responsible adult.” Cove said with a small laugh.

“Yeah, I’m grateful he was home when it happened. I need to make sure to thank him properly.” You yawned and rubbed your eyes. “But I don’t know if I can tonight. This whole event has just been so stressful.”

Cove’s concern creeped back on his face. “Do you want to stay up here for the rest of the night? If you need anything from downstairs, or need me to tell our folks, I can do that for you.”

“I think I do want to stay up here for now.” You looked down at your hands. “But Cove?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you stay here with me tonight?”

Cove used to stay with you when you were scared at night all the time before he moved, but since he no longer lived across the street, you felt a little guilty asking this of him.

Cove smiled and brought a hand to caress your face. “Of course. I can at the very least do that to help you feel safe again.”

You felt the tears again and laughed. “Cove, you’re gonna make me cry.”

He kissed your both your cheeks and let go of your face. “Then I’ll make sure to make up for that too.”

The heaviness in your chest was lightened considerably. Cove was able to lighten it in a way you moms and Mr. Holden couldn’t. You smiled and looked to Cove, a single tear falling from your eye.

“Cove, thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me; I’ll always be here for you in the end.”

“I love you.”

“And I love you too.”

He leaned over and kissed you.

After the kiss, he looked to the door, then to you. “Do you want me to tell our parents about your plan for the evening? I guess I should mention mine too.” He laughed.

“Please? I’ll get the floor nice and comfy for you when you come back!” you joked, poking fun at the usual arrangements from your shared childhood.

“I’ll make sure to take my time then.” He laughed, going over to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

After Cove left, you changed into your sleepwear, and started preparing the bed.

Your phone buzzed. Cove was going to grab a couple things from Mr. Holden’s place, assumably pjs, and would be right back up.

There was a knock at the door. You gave a ‘yeah’ to signal that it was ok to enter, and you moms popped their head out the door.

“Cove told us what’s going on, and we came to check up on you before he gets back.” Mom said, stepping in slightly with Ma.

“We also brought you some water, you must be parched.” Ma said, handing you a glass.

“Thank you, both of you. I’m sorry for worrying you so much. I was just…so scared. Nothing like that happened before and I guess…it’s just hard to handle right now. But I promise I’m doing better now, and I’m going to be ok.” You smiled at them. “Also thank you for letting Cove stay over.”

“We’re glad you’re feeling better,” Mom said, and her smile turned into a smirk. “Just make sure no funny business happens between you two tonight!”

Mom couldn’t resist teasing you and Ma playfully chastised her over it. You laughed at their antics, glad for their lighthearted conversation.

There was a knock on the door downstairs.

“We’re glad your ok (Yn). We love you very much.” Ma said, as she and Mom began retreat from the door.

“I love you both too.”

They both smiled at this and took their leave to answer the door.

It didn’t take long for Cove, already dressed in pjs, to come up to your room and you greeted him with a hug at the door. He returned your embrace.

“Ready to sleep on the floor?” You jokingly whispered into his ear.

“You wish!” He laughed, lifting you up and walking over to the bed.

He placed you on the bed, and you crawled in. As he moved to take his place beside you on the bed, you jokingly sprawled your arms and legs over the empty space, pretending to be deep asleep, fake snores and all. Amused at your antics, he simply pushed your limbs aside and quickly climbed into the bed.

“Oh? Cove! When did you get here?” You joked, pretend yawning and leaning in to embrace him.

“Very funny (Yn).” Cove said, bringing you over and returning your embrace.

“Are you actually here? Or is this a dream?” You brought a hand to his face, and he smiled into it.

“Only one way to find out, don’t you think?” He said, smirking slightly.

He brought his face to yours and kissed you gently.

“Definitely not a dream.”

He laughed. “Good night (Yn).”

“Good night Cove. Thank you for doing this for me, and for being here with me.”

“Of course. I’ll always be here for you.”

“I love you Cove.” You felt your eyes growing heavy.

“I love you too (Yn). I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed your forehead.

You shut your eyes and let yourself drift into sleep.

You were so glad Cove was here. You were glad that Mr. Holden was able to help. You were glad your moms were concerned for you and reassured you that what happened wasn’t your fault. The stranger may have been able to steal that safety you felt in that moment, you were glad that you had people around you to help bring it back, little by little.

**Author's Note:**

> this story was based off a situation i had where no matter how much i politely declined and said i wanted a stranger to leave me alone, they would not. i thought writing about it would help me calm down and feel less angry about the situation so i wrote this  
> been playing a lot of our life so what better way to calm down by having cove and co. comfort the mc/Jamie/reader haha
> 
> this is my real first attempt at writing fanfiction so im bad at ending stories, sowwy and thank you for reading!


End file.
